College of Education recognizes student teachers

To recognize their transition into the field of education, 125 soon-to-be graduates who have finished their student teaching requirements will be honored at Pittsburg State's Student Teacher Recognition Ceremony next week.

To recognize their transition into the field of education, 125 soon-to-be graduates who have finished their student teaching requirements will be honored at Pittsburg State's Student Teacher Recognition Ceremony next week.

The ceremony, which will be held from 9-10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 10, in the Crimson and Gold Ballroom, will be a chance for faculty supervisors to congratulate students on finishing their student teaching, the capstone requirement of their degree. This is the second semester the college has recognized these future teachers through a ceremony it plans to continue with each graduating class.

Brett Potts, an assistant principal at the Blue Valley School District in Overland Park, Kan., will be the event's keynote speaker. Potts, a PSU graduate, was named Kansas Teacher of the Year in 1995. At the ceremony, each student teacher will receive a medallion honoring their work before reciting the Teachers Oath en masse.

"This ceremony has been designed to honor the next generation of our classroom teachers and to emphasize to them the important responsibility and privilege they will have to educate the children and youth of this state and nation in the years to come," said Dr. Andy Tompkins, dean of the College of Education.

For Hannah Anderson, who has accepted a position teaching 5th grade at West Side Elementary in Pittsburg, the recognition is a nice way to congratulate her for hard work.

"It's a nice ending to the program," she said. "The experience was challenging yet enjoyable, and I can't imagine going into a teaching job without it. It feels good to be recognized."